The holidays are here and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s the first year to celebrate when having a kid so the Christmas energy and spirit is running on high in my house. The night after Halloween all of our decorations came down and we went straight into Christmas decor including two trees. The beautiful thing is that I didn’t even have to ask my husband, he did it all one night when I was out so I know he is just as excited as I am.
Growing up, the holidays were something that I was always excited about. It wasn’t about Christmas and the presents, it was about the time of year that everybody is happy. Everywhere you went there was holly and decorations from ceiling to floor. It was the time of year that I could count on family traditions whether it be going to see a play or waking up to moms homemade biscuits and gravy. Since we are entering the holiday season with baby Bryce, I’ve made a few notes to myself about how I’m going to make this Christmas the best one yet. I want to make intentional memories with Bryce and set up traditions that we can continue with any other kids we have in the future.
Take Yearly Pictures as a Family
There is something about taking Christmas photos every year that I love. Maybe it’s because I want my kids to have them when they grow up. I don’t have a lot of family photos from when I was kid and I wish I had them for my own collection. It seems there is a bunch of pictures of my and siblings and me but there is a void of pictures of me and my parents, probably because they were the ones always taking the pictures. I’m not a huge fan of getting my picture taken but I’ve started asking my husband to take pictures of me and my son because I want them for me and him. It’s rare that a momma gets in the photo but I’m making a point to change that.
Visit the Same Santa Every Year
This year, I’ve been searching to find the best Santa around that I can take Bryce to for pictures. I want to find a Santa that I know will be around for at least another 5-10 years so we can go back year after year. Thankfully, living in Dallas there are lots of great Santas to visit. This year we have found an event at Hilton Anatole featuring Peppermint Park. This event is full of Christmas activities including train rides, kids games and activities, holiday shows, Christmas lights and Breakfast with Santa! I found the cutest Elf outfit for Bryce to wear at the breakfast with Santa. We can’t wait to make this a tradition. (Local to Dallas? Check out Peppermint Park at Hilton Anatole here and book your ticket asap!)
Jam out to Christmas Music
Do you ever hear a song and it immediately brings you back to your childhood? I have a few of those songs that make me all warm and fuzzy inside. These songs are associated with good times and happy feelings. We sing a lot of kids songs in our house (probably more than I care to) but Baby Bryce loves them so much. Once we got the Christmas decorations up in our house, we started playing Christmas music. Nothing gets you in a happy mood like Christmas music! Since we don’t always have free hands to turn on music or press buttons, we’ve fallen in love with our Sonos One. This wireless speaker can be turned on with our voice alone. This means I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to get it to turn on whether I’m feeding baby or laying in the floor trying to entertain little man. The Sonos One speaker connects to your home Wi-Fi network for uninterrupted wireless streaming. The Sonos doesn’t only play music, you can also check news and traffic, manage smart devices and enjoy all those other helpful Amazon Alexa skills using a single Sonos speaker. I love that we can connect multiple Sonos speakers so we can have the same music playing throughout the whole house. Nothing screams Christmas spirit like Christmas music playing through the whole entire house! (Check out the Sonos at your local Best Buy)
Make an Annual Christmas Breakfast
I’m not a morning person, but you better believe I’m up early on Christmas because it’s the best day of the year. Since we’ve been married, my husband and I always eat a big Christmas breakfast that consists of biscuits and gravy. We don’t usually indulge in biscuits and gravy so for us, it’s one of those Christmas traditions that we love and thoroughly enjoy. This year, I plan on doing the same for Baby Bryce. Fingers crossed he gets the few teeth that have been bothering him the past couple weeks before Christmas so he can partake in Christmas breakfast with us. Once he’s big enough, I’ll make sure he’s in the kitchen with me!
I’ll be adding to the list as we add to our traditions this year. What other memories do you make with your family each year?
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